Hebrew High Runs in the Family

Charlotte Jewish News April 2022

By Laurie Sheinhaus

Over the past two decades, my experience with Hebrew High, also known as “The Place to Be on Wednesday Nights,” has run the gamut from parent to board member to employee. Through the years I have enjoyed each role and can look back and can see how Hebrew High went from being a big part of my daughter’s life to being a big part of my own.

Both of my children’s b’nai mitzvah were held at Temple Israel. My daughter continued her studies after being confirmed as her love for Judaism grew. She continued to be involved with Hebrew High and became the treasurer of the student council. As a parent, I saw how much Hebrew High was a part of her life and how important her Jewish studies were to her. I wanted to become more involved and was excited when I was asked to serve on the advisory board. As we both continued our separate but parallel journeys at the Park (that’s how we Charlotteans refer to Shalom Park) we both enjoyed our Wednesday nights, with different friends, but all for the same common goal.

The best part of Hebrew High is that it’s both social and educational. The students make friends and are engaged in their class, enjoying learning about different topics. The cooking class is always a hit.

They look forward to having dinner together. Pizza, grilled cheese, baked ziti, and Jared’s (Izzy’s Catering) famous garlic bread are some favorites. When the weather is nice, we all sit outside in the parking lot, and when the weather is cooler, we eat inside in Gorelick Hall. Clergy from both temples join us as we sing the blessings together.

The students also participate in many fun programs. For Hanukkah, we had a party where teens built Hanukkah-related projects using Legos, had lots of laughs in the photo booth, and noshed on latkes and donuts (sufganiyot). On Purim, the teens ate hamantaschen and created an expression of Jewish identity wall art. Currently, we are planning Maccabiah games for the endof-the-year celebration.

Now, as an empty nester, I am happily working at Hebrew High as the Wednesday Night coordinator. I enjoy interacting with the teens, assisting our wonderful director, Megan, getting dinner ready, updating our database, updating the Instagram account, and helping prepare programs that the staff at Hebrew High has created.

I feel very nostalgic when I see some of my daughter’s friends’ parents teaching classes. We’ve come full circle as we say hello to each other at the same place we used to drop the kids off for Hebrew High almost eight years ago.

My daughter is going on the Birthright program this summer and is traveling with one of her closest friends, whom she met at Hebrew High. As part of my job, I try to engage the students to see connections they are making, the same way my daughter made those connections. As the students and I get to know each other, I look forward to hearing about their stories and extracurricular activities they are involved in, which span the world! They also have some incredible dreams. We have fun making videos that get posted on Instagram. We have 127 followers, and we are trying to get to 200 by the end the year! If we reach that goal, the teens will get to enjoy ice cream sundaes on the last night of classes in May.

On a humorous note, I always wondered why the teens came home with candy wrappers and little pieces of foil stuck in the pockets of their jeans after Hebrew High. Now I see why. When parents drop off their kids in the afternoon for Hebrew for Credit, we hand out treats, and with dinner, Oreos are popular. Now I am the one giving out candy as a new generation of parents finds wrappers in their kids’ pockets.

If you have any questions about Hebrew High, please contact Megan Harkavy, Hebrew High director, mharkavy@hebrewhigh.org or (980) 483-7162.

Follow us on Instagram at @ HebrewHighNC or like us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/nchebrewhigh.

Laurie Sheinhaus is the Hebrew High Wednesday Night coordinator and mother to Adam and Dana Sheinhaus. She is the immediate past president of Hadassah and loves to spend time outdoors with her husband, Bruce, and their adorable dog, Brooklyn.

Photo Caption: Can you guess how many people 35 boxes of pizza will feed? Only Laurie Sheinhaus and Megan Harkavy will ever really know!